Love While You Can
by GodAndMonsters
Summary: Both Emma and Regina are orphans who live in the same foster family. Regina will do anything to save Emma and Henry. "Emma, please," she took a few steps and closed the distance between them, "I'm doing it for you," the seventeen-year-old tried to explain "I'm doing it for Henry,"


"He is our ticket out of here," Regina screamed at the blonde, her fists clenched and her eyes burning with anger and guilt. "Emma.." she breathed when she spied the lonely tear on the blonde pale cheek.

"Go.." she whispered, "just go!" That's how it always was, Regina being with her, saying she's in love with her and then, when night came she just sneaked out to see her rich boyfriend. Pretending it was for the best.

"Emma, please," she took a few steps and closed the distance between them, "I'm doing it for you," the seventeen-year-old tried to explain "I'm doing it for Henry,"

"Stop it," the blonde shook her head, "stop excusing this, you hug me, you kiss me, you share a bad with me and then you sneak out to see him, for my sake?"

"Yes!" the brunette stamped her feet, "We are nobody Emma, we are orphans, in a year we will be out of the system, and then what?"

"We will get by.." Emma muttered, her lower lip quivering and she forced herself to breathe. "Together".

"I'm going to take care of us," Regina exclaimed, grabbing her bag and getting ready to sneak out the window to Daniel's house, "I will do whatever it takes," she came closer to Emma, praying the blonde won't reject her as she leaned down and kissed her teary cheek. "I love you," she promised before she went out. Doing whatever it takes to save them both.

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It was 2am when the brunette finally came back, she saw the blonde hair spread over the white pillow and a small smile graced her teary face. She tried to be quiet as she climbed to bed but apparently, Emma was awake.

"You cried," It wasn't a question, Emma could smell the salty tears in the room, her heart could feel Regina's sadness from miles away.

"Let's just sleep tonight," Regina asked, but Emma was not ready to put it aside, she sat up and opened her arms, knowing Regina could never resist the warmth and security of her embrace. And Regina couldn't, she fell into her arms and whispered quietly, trying her best not to wake the three-year-old boy in the room.

"Tell me," Emma whispered and kissed her hair, "Please,"

But Regina couldn't, instead, she just kissed the soft skin of Emma's neck, again and again and again, breathing her sweet scent and letting herself be in the moment, be at home, because the only home she ever had was Emma. And now, now to save her she had to lose her.

"He proposed," she whispered between kisses and she could feel Emma's pulse quicken beneath her lips, "Emma.." she mumbled against porcelain skin.

"You said yes?" she hugged Regina closer, refusing to let her go, refusing to believe Regina chose to go, chose to abandon them, chose it and call it their best chance.

"He will let you stay with us, we can try to get Henry out of here," she tried to justify her betrayal, her head buried in Emma's neck and her hand clenching the blonde's worn out nightgown.

"You said yes.." Emma breathed.

"I will always," her voice broke and she grasped at her chest, trying to reach for her soul, trying to stop the pain "I will always sacrifice for you," she whispered.

She knew Emma will probably never forgive her, she knew she probably lost her for good, lost the only home she ever knew. But knowing Emma and Henry will be alright. She would have done it again and again and again.

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It was two years later when Emma decided she had enough. She couldn't stand living like this anymore, sharing a house with the husband of the person she loved, sharing the person she loved.

She couldn't hate Regina, not when Henry wore new clothes, not when Henry had school books and was taking care of. Sure, he was still in foster care, they couldn't get him out yet, but he was as close to happy as he ever was.

And she and Regina, they still shared stolen kisses, they still hugged longer than they should, they still shared a bad when Daniel wasn't around.

Emma just couldn't stop, even if she tried (and she never really did, she never was strong enough to try) she knew she would probably fail. A woman who never had a home will take whatever leftovers they gave her.

But she couldn't stay there anymore, it was just too painful.

And now, after finding a job as a waitress, she had enough money to leave. So she did.

She moved two blocks away.

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"Please Emma," Regina said to her one day after she discovered Daniel was cheating on her again, "Please tell me I'm ok,"

"You are," Emma promised and forced a smile, her thumb rubbing the tearful cheek, "We are..״

"I did it for you," she repeated the statement she perfected over the years "I always-"

"Sacrifice for us.." Emma muttered and leaned to kiss her.

"I'm ok.." Regina gasped against her lips, and it came out so doubtful, so broken and lost that Emma just leaned again and kissed her and kissed her kissed her until they both forgot how so not ok they both were.

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It was five years later when Emma was offered a job in a small town called Storybrooke, five hours away from Regina and Henry.

She didn't know what to do, being a sheriff was an opportunity she could not afford to miss, and maybe, maybe it's the right thing for Henry, maybe now she will be able to adopt him. But Regina.. how could she leave her.

"Go..." the brunette whispered, the alcohol in her veins taking its tool and a small tear escaped her eye "I did it for you.." she mumbled.

"Regina..." Emma sighed and closed the distance between them, swallowing her next words with a kiss and begging her to understand, begging her to see. "It's time.." she breathed against red bruised lips, "It's time to let go."

"Emma,"

"No! This time I make the decision," she cried, her eyes burning with anger and pain as she stamped her feet like a three-year-old. "You made all the decisions for me, now I'm making this one for you.."

"I'm married," she tried to reason "Daniel-"

"Is just as trapped as you!" she yelled at the stunned brunette "I love you," she confessed and for the first time it didn't sound reassuring, it sounded scared and broken and so painful. For the first time loving Regina was a curse.

"I love you," she said it again, tasting the new flavor of those words before she looked into the brown orbs of her downfall, "Please.."

"Ok," Regina agreed, she had no idea why, maybe it was the blonde broken figure, maybe it was the alcohol in her blood, maybe it was the fact that for the first time she didn't want to give Emma her best chance, she wanted to be her best chance.


End file.
